Trump said he found out about the allegations recently, and was “surprised” by them.

White House spokesman Raj Shah said on Thursday the White House was not fully aware of the extent of the allegations against Porter until photographs of one of his ex-wives with a black eye emerged on Wednesday.

Shah also said the crisis could have better handled by senior White House officials. “A lot of us could have done better.”

Porter is a Harvard Law School graduate whose position as White House staff secretary required a security clearance and close contact with Trump.

At the time of his resignation, Porter had not yet been approved for security clearance because the required background check was still ongoing.